NEIDAN - Inner alchemy

NEIDAN (Traditional Chinese Meditation practice)

Inner alchemy

The term Neidan can be divided into two parts: Nei, meaning inner, and Dan, which
refers to alchemy, elixir, and cinnabar (mercury). Neidan uses techniques such as:
composed meditation techniques, visualization, breathing and bodily posture
exercises. Breathing exercises were used to preserve jing or "life essence" and
bodily postures were used to improve qi or "energy" flow in the body. Neidan
comprises the elixir from the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the
cultivation of substances already present in the body, in particular the
manipulation of three substances in the body known as the "Three Treasures".
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Neidan, or internal alchemy(simplified Chinese: 內丹术; traditional Chinese: 內丹術;
pinyin: nèidān shù), is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical, mental, and
spiritual practices that Taoist initiates use to prolong life and create an
immortal spiritual body that would survive after death. Also known as Jindan
("golden elixir"), inner alchemy combines theories derived from external alchemy
(waidan), correlative cosmology (including the Five Phases), the emblems of the
Yijing, and medical theory, with techniques of Daoist meditation, daoyin
gymnastics, and sexual hygiene.
In Neidan the human body becomes a cauldron in which the Three Treasures of Jing
("Essence"), Qi ("Breath") and Shen ("Spirit") are cultivated for the purpose of
improving physical, emotional and mental health, and ultimately returning to the
primordial unity of the Tao, i.e., becoming an Immortal. It is believed the Xiuzhen
Tu is such a cultivation map. In China, it is an important form of practice for
most schools of Taoism.
Neidan is part of the Chinese alchemical meditative tradition that is said to have
been separated into internal and external (Waidan) at some point during the Tang
dynasty. The Cantong qi (The Kinship of the Three) is the earliest known book on
theoretical alchemy in China; it was written by the alchemist Wei Boyang in 142 AD.
This text influenced the formation of Neidan, whose earliest existing texts date
from the first half of the eighth century. The authors of several Neidan articles
refer to their teachings as the Way of the Golden Elixir (jindan zhi dao). The
majority of Chinese alchemical sources is found in the Daozang (Taoist Canon), the
largest collection of Taoist texts.
The Neidan tradition of internal alchemy is practiced by working with the energies
that were already present in the human body as opposed to using natural substances,
medicines or elixirs, from outside of the body.
Taoism focuses on the balance of yin and yang in one's life.
Internal alchemy focuses on the body and how you are able to use the Three
Treasures, chi, jing and shen, to bring this balance to your life. These are the
energy that makes up life. Each individual is able to practice internal alchemy on
their own, the religious leaders of Taoism are there for guidance.
Chi is defined as the "natural energy of the universe" and can be found in
everything, including each individual person. Throughout Taoists' lives, they try
to obtain a positive flow of chi, which flows through the body in paths moving to
each individual organ, from the perspective of internal alchemy. Taoists map out
the body according to these paths. If a path is blocked, the chi does not flow
properly; this blockage disrupts the balance of yin and yang. Taoists developed
methods to help get rid of these harmful blockages so that the body's balance can
be restored.
The second treasure, jing, is essential for humans to live; it is referred to as
the energies of the body. It corresponds most closely to the energy of the physical
body. The conserving of jing in the body is heavily focused on internal alchemy. It
is thought that a person dies when they lost, or ran out of jing. Taoists believed
that preserving jing allowed people to live longer, if not to achieve immortality.
The idea of immortality came about because Taoists believed that if jing in the
body could be preserved the energies in the body could be saved, which allowed you
to live.
Shen, the third and final treasure, is the original spirit of the body. This is all
that happens in the body without the acknowledgment of the human (Nedidan: The
Traditional Meditative Practice, 14). Taoists try to become conscious of shen
through meditation. Shen is the energy that each organ, in the body, possesses.
Each organ in the body has an element associated with it, fire, wood, water, metal,
or earth (The Five Shen). When the "three treasures" are maintained in the body,
along with a balance of yin and yang, it is possible to achieve a healthy body, and
longevity; which are the main goals of internal alchemy.
The Three Treasures
Inner alchemy practice can be generalized into three phases. The three phases are
known as the "three treasures". The "three treasures" of human life are vitality-
jing (ching), energy-chi (ch'i), and spirit-shen (chen).
Making one's essence complete, one can preserve the body. To do so, first keep the
body at ease, and make sure there are no desires. Thereby energy can be made
complete.
Making one's energy complete, one can nurture the mind. To do so, first keep the
mind pure, and make sure there are no thoughts. Thereby spirit can be made
complete.
Making one's spirit complete, one can recover emptiness. To do so, first keep the
will sincere, and make sure body and mind are united. Thereby spirit can be
returned to emptiness. ... To attain immortality, there is nothing else but the
refinement of these three treasures: essence, energy, spirit."
The "three treasures" need to work with one another and never without each other.
One cannot exist without the other one. These "three treasures" are important in
the longevity techniques that are used to achieve immortality and physical
manifestation of the Dao (Ching 395).
Chi (Ch'i or qi)
Chi is the vital force that operates the body and manifests in everyone and
everything "the natural energy of the universe". The home of chi is said to be
centered around the liver. Chi is one of the "three treasures". Having harmony is
one of the most important concepts of Chi. Keeping a proper balance of Yin and Yang
(positive and negative) forces. Trouble either on a personal or on a larger scale
is a form of disharmony and may lead to illness or stress. This is accomplished by
having too much of either Yin or Yang forces.
Healing practices through acupuncture, massage, cupping and herbal medicines can
open up the chi meridians throughout the body so that the chi in the body can flow
freely. By keeping chi in balance and flowing throughout the body promotes health;
imbalance can lead to sickness. This doesn't only apply to the body but the
environment as well, being nature or man-made. Feng Shui methods are used to keep a
healthy balance and a more open flow of chi in one's environment.
Feng Shui means "wind-water". Chi is scattered by the wind and is gathered by
water. It is good to have a home by a river or body of water so chi could flow past
your home, also to build in front of a hill so bad chi cannot flow into your home.
Modern feng shui focuses on moving objects such as furniture around to help promote
a positive outcome of chi in the chosen space. Traditionally it was used to find
homes and good burial sites that had good amounts of Yin-chi and Yang-chi, insuring
that one's spirit wouldn't get stuck in the mortal plane, but rise to join the
ancestors.
Jing
Jing, or vitality, is the second of the "three treasures" of human life. According
to tradition, Jīng is stored in the kidneys and is the most dense physical matter
within the body (as opposed to shén which is the most volatile). It is said to be
the material basis for the physical body and is yīn in nature, which means it
nourishes, fuels, and cools the body. As such it is an important concept in the
internal martial arts. Jīng is also believed by some to be the carrier of our
heritage (similar to DNA). Production of semen, in the man, and menstrual blood (or
pregnancy), in the woman, are believed to place the biggest strains on jīng.
Because of this, some even equate jīng with semen, but this is inaccurate; the jīng
circulates through the eight extraordinary vessels and creates marrow and semen,
among other functions.
Shen [神]
Shen or the spirit (the most pure and vital energy) involves the mental activities
of a person including their consciousness. Shen can also be said to include the
nerve system. The nerve system consists of the "original spirit" and actions that
are vital to survival such as breathing or the heart beat. A person's consciousness
is the spirit of knowing, conscious activities, and the thinking process which can
be developed through learning. Internal alchemists focus on the original spirit of
shen (Nedidan: The Traditional Meditative Practice 14).
Shen implies a person's mental function and consciousness as well as vitality,
mental health and overall "presence". Shen is known to reside mainly in the heart,
or more specifically, the blood which relies on the heart. It is believed that shen
sleeps at night and if it is disturbed the result can be insomnia. Healthy shen can
be seen in a person's physical appearance through the eyes. If the eyes are bright
and shining with liveliness it indicates a healthy shen. If one's shen is unhealthy
their eyes will appear dull. The shen is dependent on the jing and chi. (Shen:
Traditional Chinese Medicine 1-4) If the jing and the chi are happy then the shen
will be content as well.
Shen can be thought of as either a singular concept or a plural concept. When
viewed singularly shen is located in the heart and known as heart shen. When viewed
as a plural concept it is found in five of the yin organs; the heart, the kidneys,
the spleen, the lungs and the liver. The singular shen depends on the others as the
others depend on it. If the heart shen is not functioning properly it can damage
the other shen and lead to problems such as mental illness.
Shen[神]: The Emperor of the Heart The element associated with the heart is fire.
The heart shen involves the quality of awareness one has and is shown in the
responsiveness of the eyes. The xin or mind exists as part of the heart. Often
viewed as a corona to the sun of the heart.
Zhi [志]: The Kidney's Will to Act Zhi is one's will and is represented by the
element of water. Zhi embodies one's effort and perseverance to succeed in
spiritual practice. Through the zhi one may hope to align themselves with the "will
of Heaven", or the Dao.
Yi [意]: Intellect of the Spleen Earth is the element of yi. It is said to assist
in the formation of intentions and when not in balance it can lead to problems with
the spleen. When healthy it is evident as a spirit permeated with intelligence.
Within the spleen also exists the xing or "map" of the body, often this concept is
viewed as the blueprint of our existence.
Po [魄]: The Corporal Soul of the Lungs Po concerns our immediate desires and only
lasts as long as one lives. It is the polar of hun and is found in the element of
metal. There are traditionally 13 po spirits that reside in the lung.
Hun [魂]: The Ethereal Soul of the Liver Hun is represented by the element of wood
and has the ability to survive subtly after death. It involves long range
commitments and as one's spiritual consciousness develops the po becomes support of
the hun. (The Five Shen). There are seen to be 3 hun that form at conception, the
yin hun, the yang hun and the ren (human) hun.
When all forms of shen are functioning properly and the shen is in harmony one is
said to have achieved shen unity.
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There are two Taoist approaches to immortality: 1) Outer Alchemy, and 2) Inner
Alchemy. Outer alchemy works from the outside in, while inner alchemy works from
the inside out. It is the same as the difference between external and internal
martial art. Generally speaking, outer alchemy strengthens the physical body first
with moving meditation, and various herbal formulas. Inner alchemy on the other
hand, strengthens the energetic body first with still meditation and cultivating
the chi. Although the 2 approaches are different, they are usually used together to
complement each other in self-cultivation. This is the same dual-approach that we
recommend and encourage here in this web site. Tai Chi Chuan is an excellent
example and model of this dual- approach.
Taoists often value the number "3" because the principle to immortality is derived
from the "Three Treasure of the Universe". The 3 treasures of the universe are
Heaven, Earth, and Mankind. And each "treasure" contains its own three treasures.
The 3 treasures of Heaven are the sun, moon, and stars. The 3 treasures of Earth
are fire, water, and air. The 3 treasures of mankind are chi, jing, and shen.
Chi, as described earlier, is the life force energy. Jing can be translated as
Essence. Jing is the Original Chi that was given to us from our parents. Jing is
often named as Pre-birth, Pre-heaven chi, or Sexual energy. Shen is the name for
our spiritual-self. When our spirit is raised to the head, our vitality can be seen
through the brightness of our eyes.
In order to receive immortality, we must work on our three treasures to raise our
spiritual energy and refined it to the same level, or frequency as the Tao. We live
and interact in this physical 3 dimensional world to learn and nourish ourselves to
achieve Realization. But our physical body dose not last forever. When our physical
body fail, our energy will leave our body. It may be recycled into a new body
through reincarnation, but then we might not see Realization until our new bodies
are physically and mentally matured. That might be a waste of time and resources,
because a new life takes tremendous amount of time, energy resources, and caring.
So in order to continue our "education", the Taoist says, "why not build spiritual
body?" that way our spirit has a place to reside, even after our bodies have failed
us. The spiritual self then lives forever, thus Immortality. Another advantage for
having a spiritual body is that it has transcended the limit of a physical body.
The spiritual body can go where the physical body can’t – the Fourth Dimension,
time. So Taoists proposed an immortal formula: first, use the chi to nourish our
jing. Secondly, transform the jing into refined chi. Afterward, use this refined
chi to build up the shen. Then reunite the shen with the Tao.
To summarize this transformational process, it is usually separated into a number
of different stages. The amount of stages depends on the system of teaching.
.The first stage: "Using the Post-birth chi to nourish the Pre-birth chi"
Post-birth chi is the energy we consume from our environment through the air we
breathe, the food we eat, and the subtle energy from the universe. We use this
Post-birth chi to nourish our Pre-birth energy, our Original chi. To build up and
strengthen our Original chi also means we must conserve it, because to save also
means you must cut down on your spending. Therefore it is recommended that men
should stop ejaculation to conserve their Essence (jing), while women need to
regulate the menstrual cycle to conserve their Essence. (We will discuss more about
these energy conservation techniques later.) The Microcosmic orbit and chi
cultivation techniques are taught in this stage.
.The second stage: "Transferring jing to chi"
When the jing is full from the nourishment of chi conservation and cultivation, we
will transfer it into chi. One might ask why? Why even bother changing chi into
jing in the first place, when you have to change it back to chi anyhow? The answer
is simple. When you transform jing into chi, it is refined. It is refined to the
level where your body can easily digest or store for further application. It can be
compared to the process where your liver transforms sugar into glucose, where your
body can either store it or digest it. The liver removes excess glucose from your
system; then it is stored until it is needed. Similarly, the dantien can store
excess or extra chi until it is needed. This stage of transforming jing into chi is
sometimes called "Water and Fire" meditation. It is expressed by the sixty-third
hexagram, "ji ji". In this hexagram, water is on top of the fire. Water means our
sexual energy. Fire means the fire in the cauldron, the Real Dantien. (Fire can
also be interpreted as the fire of the heart) When fire is below water, the water
will boil and steam. So the hexagram "water above fire" means steaming the sexual
energy, jing. Steam is light, so it moves upward to the head. This process is
equivalent to the Indian Yoga’s kundalini awakening. Kundalini is merely a
different name for jing. The Taoist system teaches us to bring the "steam" down to
the dantien. Like water vapor that is condensed into cloud and come down as rain.
When the rain comes down, we will store it at the dantien. Dantien literally means
"elixir farm". After the rain, we will have harvest. What do we harvest? The pill
of immortality! That is where the name dantien came from. The environment, we
created at the dantein, where the Heavenly chi and Earth chi can interact and mix,
are called "The reunion of Heaven and Earth". The intercourse of Heaven and Earth
will give birth to the "Spiritual Fetus", which will develop into what we called
the Spiritual body. Water and Fire meditation is taught along with the opening of
the other 6 Extraordinary Channels in this stage.
.The third stage: "Transferring chi into shen"
Once you have achieved the first two stages, you will have an abundant amount of
energy to nourish your "spiritual baby". This stage can be divided into 3 steps.
The first step is to nourish this spiritual fetus for ten months just as a real
pregnancy. We will feed it with the energy from Universal chi, Earth chi, and
Cosmic chi. Because the vitality of our spiritual body, or baby, is heavily
dependent on its nourishment during the pregnancy, we should be careful of what
kind of energy we feed it with. Of course we will want the best for our "baby".
After the ten month period, we will move the fetus to the upper dantien and give
birth to this spiritual baby.
The second step is to nurse the baby for three years. During this 3 year nursery,
the baby should never leave the physical body far, or for a long time, because it
is still young and premature. In this stage we can catch a glimpse of the Fourth
Dimension, or the Immortal realm, but distance traveling is still not recommended.
The third step is the nine years of education. The spiritual body can now travel
further each time with practice. During this nine year period, we will teach it
everything we know, and help it to become independent.
.The fourth stage: "Return the shen to the Tao"
After the nine years of exploring, the spiritual body can now travel freely. It is
time to return to the Tao. You now can transcend space and time without any
limitation. You have transformed into a true immortal.
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. .

Circulation of the Light

Chinese alchemists became proficient at spiritual Distillation thousands of years

ago. In a discipline called “Circulation of the Light,” the aspirant is taught to
concentrate on the light of the inmost region and, while doing so, to free himself
from all outer and inner entanglements. The basic practice in the Circulation of
the Light is known in Taoist alchemy as “The Microcosmic Orbit” or “The Lesser
Heavenly Cycle” (as opposed to the greater cycle of the rotation of stars and the
constellations). The “light” that is circulated is the chi guided by mind through
an alchemical laboratory within the body that consists of three cauldrons or
furnaces (known as tan tien or “elixir fields”) that purify and refine the energy
in a process of Distillation.
The first of these inner cauldrons is the Lower Tan Tien, which is situated in the
abdomen between the pelvis and navel. It is where the alchemist gathers, blends,
and cooks his or her sexual, vital, and spiritual essences. The operations carried
out here are equivalent to the Western stages of Calcination, Dissolution, and
Separation, which are equivalent to energizing the muladhara (base), svadhisthana
(genital), and manipura (solar plexus) chakras in the Tantric tradition or the
Wheel of Emanation in the Buddhist tradition. Once the energy is purified
sufficiently, it is brought up the primary or Governor Channel along the back or
dorsal of the spine. The Chinese call this solar channel of yang energy the tu mai,
while Tantrists refer to it as the ida.
The Middle Tan Tien cauldron is between the solar plexus and diaphragm and its
energies are associated with the heart, lungs, and throat. This is where the
essences from the purification in the Lower Tan Tien accumulate and where the soul
finds expression. The fundamental essences are further purified and condensed and
eventually move up the Governor (or Solar Channel) along the back of the spine. The
Tantrists saw this cauldron as activating the anahata (heart) and vishuddha
(throat) chakras. In Western alchemy, it is where the operation of Conjunction
takes place.
The Upper Tan Tien is known as the Crystal Palace. This “precious” cauldron at the
center of the brain is also called the Sacred Square Inch, the Heavenly Heart, or
the Cavity of Spirit. It is where the higher self or spirit from Above dwells. Sufi
alchemists call this the ruh; Jewish alchemists call it ruach, while for the
Tantrists, it is seen as an activation of the ajna (brow) and sahasrara (crown)
chakras. In Western alchemy, it is where the operations of Fermentation,
Distillation, and Coagulation take place. In the cabala, this center corresponds to
the Sefirah Daat, located on the Middle Pillar (or spine) between Binah (at the
back of the head) and Hokmah (in the forehead area).
In physiological alchemy, the Upper Tan Tien is associated with the center of the
brain where the pineal gland is located. When this gland is activated, it is said
to become illuminated like thousands of shining crystals, able to receive light (as
energy and knowledge) from the universe. In Taoist alchemy, this is called the
“Mysterious Gate” (hsuan kuan). In Tibetan Buddhism, this is the source of the
“White Drop” that descends to the heart center, where it mixes with the ascending
“Red Drop” attain an enlightened body and mind. All this activity is seen as a
cosmic sex act in the head. The phallic-shaped pineal gland releases a pure white
liquid light that impregnates the nearby bi-lobed pituitary gland, which then
releases hormones in the blood that inaugurate a Second (Spiritual) Puberty in the
body.
This final stage is not accomplished in just a single round of operations but must
continue until all impurities have been eliminated, and the light is in its most
concentrated form. Thus, the purified inner light is returned from the Upper Tan
Tien to the Lower Tan Tien down the secondary Functional Channel along inside of
the spine. The Chinese called this lunar channel of yin energy the jen mai, which
is called pingala by the Tantrists. The energy is then once again guided by thought
and imagination inward to the center of the body, where it is progressively refined
and transmuted through the three cauldrons.
So, essentially, the Circulation of Light is an operation of Distillation in which
the mercurial light of consciousness (or life force) is progressively purified and
concentrated. Try a session of this regimen and see how it feels. In practice, the
initiate repeats the Circulation of the Light daily for months or even years, until
enough of the “light” collects to crystallize in the cauldron with-in the brain.
According to Chinese alchemists, the subtle matter distilled through this process
congeals into a Golden Pill, which is the adept’s passage to perfect health and
even immortality. Western alchemists would call the product of these repeated
distillations the “Mother of the Stone.” But the goal is the same in both systems:
to create an immortal spirit body (the Stellar Stone or Body of Light) through
which the adept can function on a more evolved plane of existence than in the
ordinary physical body.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neidan
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Taoist Alchemy
http://www.goldenelixir.com/jindan.html
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Neidan, the Traditional Meditative Practice
http://www.literati-tradition.com/meditative_practice.html
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The Secret of the Golden Flower
[ T’ai I Chin Hua Tsung Chih ]
http://www.rexresearch.com/goldflwr/goldflwr.htm
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.......
Circulation of the Light
http://alchemylab.com/circulation_of_the_light.htm
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